Hong Kong court reinstates ex-lawmaker’s jail sentence for disclosing ICAC probe

Court of Final Appeal overturns Lam Cheuk-ting’s acquittal for unlawfully revealing authorities were investigating police commander

Reading Time:3 minutes

Lam Cheuk-ting has been a vocal critic of perceived police inaction after a 100-strong white-clad mob stormed Yuen Long MTR station and injured at least 45 people in 2019. Photo: May Tse

Published: 3:27pm, 1 Apr 2025Updated: 4:27pm, 1 Apr 2025

Hong Kong’s top court has reinstated a former opposition lawmaker’s convictions and four-month jail sentence for exposing an investigation into a police commander who led a probe into mob violence at a railway station during the 2019 anti-government protests.

The Court of Final Appeal on Tuesday ruled by a majority to reverse Lam Cheuk-ting’s acquittal of three counts relating to unlawful disclosure of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (ICAC) investigation into the commander.

Lam, 47, was found guilty of the offences under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in January 2022, before winning an appeal at the Court of First Instance last year.

The latest ruling may push back the jail release date of the Democratic Party member, who is currently serving a sentence of nine years and seven months arising from two other unrelated trials.

A new law allowing authorities to bar a prisoner’s early release on national security grounds also means Lam, who was earlier convicted of conspiracy to subvert state power, is unlikely to be granted any remission by the prison service for good conduct while serving time.

Lam has been a vocal critic of perceived police inaction after a 100-strong white-clad mob stormed Yuen Long MTR station and injured at least 45 people on July 21, 2019. The incident is widely seen as a trigger for heightened tensions between authorities and protesters during that year’s social unrest.